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Gao Z, Wang H, Lu C, Lu T, Froudist-Walsh S, Chen M, Wang XJ, Hu J, Sun W. The neural basis of delayed gratification. Sci Adv 2021; 7:eabg6611. [PMID: 34851665 PMCID: PMC8635439 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg6611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Balancing instant gratification versus delayed but better gratification is important for optimizing survival and reproductive success. Although delayed gratification has been studied through human psychological and brain activity monitoring and animal research, little is known about its neural basis. We successfully trained mice to perform a waiting-for-water-reward delayed gratification task and used these animals in physiological recording and optical manipulation of neuronal activity during the task to explore its neural basis. Our results showed that the activity of dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons in the ventral tegmental area increases steadily during the waiting period. Optical activation or silencing of these neurons, respectively, extends or reduces the duration of waiting. To interpret these data, we developed a reinforcement learning model that reproduces our experimental observations. Steady increases in DAergic activity signal the value of waiting and support the hypothesis that delayed gratification involves real-time deliberation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zilong Gao
- Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Hanqing Wang
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Chen Lu
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Tiezhan Lu
- Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 102206, China
| | | | - Ming Chen
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Xiao-Jing Wang
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Ji Hu
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Wenzhi Sun
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 102206, China
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
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